BEFORE DAWNThursday, the House of Representatives approved on second reading the Reproductive Health Bill. Thank God!

After 14 long years, the Lower House – voting 113 to 104 approved on second reading the Reproductive Health Bill. That was historic! And then Jules Ledesma showed up to vote. That was miraculous!

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines were in full force at the Lower House. But Congress still passed the bill. A historic vote despite the pre-historic presence.

Seated at the gallery was Lipa, Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles who closely monitored the voting. Later, representatives from Batangas province (all 5 of them!) voted AGAINST the RH Bill. The five solons were commended by another anti-RH advocate, alcalde-mayor Vilma Santos.

Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao voted against the RH Bill. Pacquiao has now lost three straight.

A congressman was quoted to have said, “If the Reproductive Health Bill was passed in the ‘50s, I’d probably would not be here today.” And his constituents were like, “Sayang!”

In voting ‘no’ to the RH Bill, outgoing marginalized sector representative Mikey Arroyo said, “Hindi ko pwedeng isuko ang aking pagka-Katoliko.” Didn’t you just do that when you married your second cousin?

In Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound ranking, Manny Pacquiao drops to No. 7. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still No. 1 while Juan Manuel Marquez is at No. 3. The biggest surprise of all was Mommy Dionisia who’s now at No. 6.

From No. 2, Manny Pacquiao has dropped to No. 7 in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound ranking. But that was way better than Mon Tulfo who totally dropped out of the list.

Apparently, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is not a fan of Manny Pacquiao. But I don’t think it’s fair to pillory Justin because of that. You have to understand the kid. In Canada, they only see boxing in hockey arenas.

A congressman has filed a resolution urging the Department of Education to include the inspiring life story of sports icon Manny Pacquiao in the curriculum of grade school pupils. As a sign of gratitude, Pacquiao will file a resolution urging the Commission on Higher Education to include the life story of other congressmen in financial management.

Pope OnlinePope Benedict XVI has finally tweeted. In his first tweet, he addressed his followers as “Friends.” Cool! The next time he uses “Dude,” I’ll be more impressed.

In his sixth tweet, the Pope asked for suggestions on how “to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work, families and the world.” His followers replied, “BRB, may tatapusin lang.”

Salvaged Online
Atenean cager Nico Salva was criticized and lambasted by netizens (mostly Azkal fans) for tweeting that the football match (Suzuki Cup semifinals) on TV last Wednesday night was boring. I have no idea what Salva was talking about. I fell asleep.

The Azkals lost that match against Singapore. And for the Azkaleros, the last thing you wanna read was a tweet like Salva’s. I totally understand them. Nobody understands the pain of losing more than us, Lakers fans.

Friendster
Apparently, gaming website Friendster is bringing back its social networking features. In other news, Nokia is bringing back 3210.
———————————————————-“I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.”
~ George Carlin

Quote of the Day
“In the dying seconds of my 6th round vs Marquez, a single punch knocked me out. Some thought I was dead. What happened in Vegas strengthened my already firm belief of the sanctity of life.”~Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao defending his vote against the RH Bill